Archive for November, 2011

Prior to the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, Silk had made 67 career starts in the Tour for six different teams in a span of seven years of full- and part-time competition. He’d won races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Thompson International Speedway, but he struggled to find consistency at the front of the field – posting Top-10 finishes less than half the time over that same span.

When Eddie Partridge went looking for a full-time driver for his No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet, though, he wasn’t necessarily out looking for the most sparkling resume. He wanted some stability.

“Ronnie has ability to talk to (crew chief Tommy Grasso) and he knows the feel he wants in the car, where when he starts the race the car is going to be good throughout the whole race,” Partridge said. “He’s an aggressive driver, but not when he doesn’t want to be. He just has that ability, he has that feel.”

Stafford Springs, CT)— The Stafford Speedway 2012 schedule has been released and it has seen a major overhaul. Stafford Speedway will not only roar to life every Friday from May to September but also on Saturday June 30. Stafford Speedway will host the annual CARQUEST Extreme program on a Saturday Night. The historically mid-week program headlined by the ISMA Super Modifieds will now be held on Saturday June 30 and will be titled CARQUEST Super Saturday.

“This is a great way for us to put a new twist into the show,” said Rich Pallai, Vice President of Marketing at CARQUEST Auto Parts. “With the show on a Tuesday it was hard for people to get out of work and make it to the track, we’re hoping that moving this show to Saturday will make it easier for the fans and our CARQUEST customers to come out to the track and enjoy a great night of racing.”

CARQUEST Super Saturday will also play host to NEMA Midgets, Pro-4 Modifieds, and the Second Annual CARQUEST Champions For Charities go-kart race.

Daytona Beach, FL — NASCAR announced today that the points system all NASCAR national series began using this year will be instituted in the regional touring level for 2012.

The points system was simplified to make it easier for fans, competitors and the industry to understand.

Beginning in 2012, the system will be integrated into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and NASCAR Mexico Series.

The new structure awards points in one-point increments. As an example, race winners earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the win. Drivers also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing the race-winning total to a possible maximum of 48 points.

On the surface, they are two seasons appearing to be virtual carbon copies of one another.

George Brunnhoelzl III won five races in 2011, finished in the Top-5 in 12 of 14 races and never finished outside the Top-10 en route to the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship. Two seasons prior, Brunnhoelzl also won five races with 13 Top-5 finishes in 14 starts en route to his first career Whelen Southern Modified Tour crown.

But as comparable as the two championship seasons appear to be on paper, they were wrought with different challenges. Namely among them: the broken sternum Brunnhoelzl suffered in a 2010 crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – an injury that sidelined him for a race and broke the momentum he was slowly building competing on the northern-based NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Canaan, N.H. – Lisbon, CT., driver Chris Pasteryak will be honored this Saturday night when the Valenti Modified Racing Series presents it’s 9th Annual Awards Banquet at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, West Springfield, MA. Pasteryak will be crowned series champion for the second time. He was the 2008 champion.

The 31-year-old second generation driver won three races in 2011. He opened the season with a victory at Waterford, CT., in April, followed it with a win at Lee, NH., in July, and a popular victory at Stafford, CT., in September. Pasteryak drove to nine top-five finishes.

The MRS annual “Achievement” awards will be presented. Hoosier Tire East, Sunoco Hard Charger, Mountainside Graphix Rookie of the Year, SPAFCO Most Improved Driver, Tough Luck, Sportsmanship, Crew Member of the Year, Above and Beyond, and Dedication to Racing awards will be handed out. The recipients are chosen by series officials.

Stafford Motor Speedway has a special offer for its 2012 Season Passes. Everyone who orders an Adult 2012 Season Pass by Dec. 16th will be entered into a drawing to win an iPod Touch. The winner will be drawn on Dec. 20.

Stafford Motor Speedway now has its 2012 DARE Stock rulebook available along with rulebooks for its SK Modified®, SK Light, and Limited Late Model divisions. The 2012 Late Model rulebook will be made available shortly.

Stafford Motor Speedway online now has 2012 Number Registration Forms available. All 2012 Number Registrations submitted to the track office before Dec. 15, 2011 will be $30 and all registrations received after Dec. 15 will increase to $40.

Stafford Motor Speedway has 2012 rulebooks for its SK Modified®, SK Light Modified, and Limited Late Model divisions available now in the Downloads section. Late Model and DARE Stock rulebooks will be forthcoming.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2012 New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held on Sunday January 29, 2012 at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall Route 5, East Windsor, Connecticut (Exit 44 off Interstate 91, East Windsor, CT).

Doors open at 11:00 a.m. with dinner served at 12:00 p.m. There will be a cash bar. Dinner Choices are: Prime Rib, Chicken Supreme, Baked Scrod and Vegetarian Lasagna.

Priced at $45.00 per person, order forms are available for download by visiting the NEAR website at www.near1.com

Order deadline is January 16, 2012. No tickets will be sold at the door. Requests for reserved tables of 10 must be received by January 10, 2012.

Westport, MA — “I can’t wait to come back next year,” champion Randy Cabral told the 200-plus at the Northeastern Midget Association Awards banquet Saturday night at White of Westport. It was the third championship in four years for Cabral and owner Tim Bertrand.

The NEMA Lites, led by “champions” Gene Feigel and Seth Carlson, shared in the traditional harvest of hardware

Cabral, who dedicated the season to the late car owner Jim O’Brien and super fan Jim Parsons, carried off the biggest trophy as the top 15 owners and drivers in each division were recognized.

Atlantic City, NJ — ISMA Supermodified star and past NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck standout Johnny Benson, Jr. is the latest driver to file an entry for the Indoor Auto Racing event to be held at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall in February.

Benson, 48, earned a total of 17 career wins among NASCAR’s three national circuits, including one Sprint Cup triumph, at Rockingham, N.C., in 2002.

Benson has proven to be a quick study throughout his career. In three different series, ASA, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup, Benson has earned Rookie of the Year honors. He subsequently earned ASA and Nationwide Series championships, indicative of his ability to adapt quickly.

Walter H. Renner 1921-2011 HOLYOKE – Walter H. Renner, 90, of Holyoke, was called safely home on Wednesday, November 16, 2011. He was born in Chicopee, son of the late Daniel and Bertha (Gerhardt) Renner, and lived in Chicopee before moving to Holyoke, where he has resided for the past 67 years. Walter was a 1939 graduate of Chicopee Trade High School, upon his graduation he immediately began working as a machinist at B.F. Perkins and Son in Willimansett, and remained there for 47 years until his retirement. Walter was a United States Army Veteran of World War II, a member of American Legion Post 353 in Willimansett, and a charter member of Edward Drake Chapter 41 of the Disabled American Veterans of Holyoke. He enjoyed music, and was the manager of his daughters all girl rock band The Timbres. Walter was an avid racing fan, who along with his late wife Ronnie, worked as representatives with Chris Economaki’s National Speed Sport News, Riverside Park Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway, and Thompson International Speedway. He contributed articles about races at all of the New England tracks which were later published in Speed Sport News.

On September 11, 1999 at the last NASCAR race held at Riverside Park Speedway, Walter and his wife Ronnie were honored trackside by NASCAR officials for their decades of service to the American Short Track Industry. He was predeceased by his wife Veronica “Ronnie” (Denault) Renner on June 4, 2010. Walter leaves his loving daughter Ronie R. Webster and his son-in-law, Lawrence Webster of Wilbraham, a brother, Harold Renner of South Hadley, and 21 nieces and nephews. Besides his parents and wife, he was also predeceased by his sisters Elsie Clarkson and Freida Heineman. The family wishes to extend a special thank you to Dr. Mateen at the Holyoke Medical Center, who supported Walter through his illness, and to everyone at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke for the care and compassion provided to Walter. Calling hours will be held Monday, November 21, 2011 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton Street, Holyoke; a celebration of Walter’s life will be held Saturday morning November 26, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 34 Jarvis Avenue, Holyoke, a private burial will be held at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. Memorial contributions may be made to Holyoke Soldiers Home, 110 Cherry Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 or to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 34 Jarvis Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040.

Stafford Motor Speedway now has 2012 Season Passes available. Click the link below to download a Season Ticket Order Form. There are General Admission, Reserved Seat, Paddock Passes, and the Stafford Speedway Kids Club options for season ticket packages.

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has announced its 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event schedule, and the new schedule carries with it a distinct new flavor. The 2012 schedule has been diversified to include a wide array of races that has transformed the Stafford schedule into a variety of never before seen events at the Connecticut half-mile facility.

New for the 2012 season is a spectrum of double feature and extra distance races for Stafford’s SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions. For the first time in track history, those divisions will enjoy the same perks as the track’s premier SK Modified® division and Late Model division with each division taking two opportunities on center stage to shine under the Friday night spotlights. Stafford’s SK Lights will race 25 laps on July 6 and will race twin 15-lap features on August 24, the Limited Late Models will race 25 laps June 29, and they will race twin 15-lap features on August 10, and the DARE Stock division will race 20 laps on May 18, and twin 12-lap feature events on August 17th.

Stafford’s SK Modifieds will partake in their traditional 100-lap extra distance event on June 8, and the CARQUEST SK 150, scheduled for July 20, has undergone a metamorphosis that will see the SK Modified® cars compete in twin 75-lap feature format for the first time in Stafford history.

With Stafford Motor Speedway broadcasters Matt Buckler and Joe Coss serving as the Masters of Ceremony, the 42nd annual Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Champions Awards Ceremony not only honored the five track champions, it also honored the top-20 points finishers from the SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions. Other awards that were presented during the evening’s festivities were Most Popular Driver Awards, Most Improved Driver Awards, Reliable Welding & Speed Rookie of the Year awards, and the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year Award.

The 2011 SK Modified® season saw Ryan Preece outduel Keith Rocco in a thrilling season-long fight for the championship. Rocco, who was the defending SK Modified® track champion at Stafford, led the division with 8 wins this season, but Preece won 5 times and collected more top-5 and top-10 finishes than Rocco to capture his first career track championship. In 18 starts this season, Preece collected 14 top-5, and 17 top-10 finishes along with his 5 wins for an amazing average finish of 3.8, which allowed him to win the championship by a 78-point margin over Rocco.

A trio of modified racing pioneers – Moe Gherzi, Jerry Humiston and Roland Lapierre – are the veterans committee selections to join the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

The trio will be inducted along with drivers Reggie Ruggiero and Joey Kourafas, owner/mechanics Mario Fiore and Jim Jorgensen and track operators/promoters Irene Venditti and Donald Hoenig at the 15th annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Sunday Jan. 29 at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT.

Ticket information and order forms will be available soon on the NEAR website (www.NEAR1.com).

The colorful Gherzi was one of Southern New England’s first racing stars. Driving for a number of owners including the Scambato and Garuti families, Gherzi, who started in the Midgets, built an impressive stock car resume in the formative years at Plainville Stadium, Riverside Park and the Waterford Speedbowl. Following his 25-plus years in the cockpit, Gherzi was racing director at Plainville.

The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today that the top teams of the US-based ACT Tour, the Quebec based ACT Castrol Series, and Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl will receive in excess of $100,000 in championship point fund awards at the season-ending ACT banquets to be held in December, 2011 and January, 2012.

Highest money earners are car owners Rick Paya from the ACT US Tour and Patrick Laperle from the ACT Castrol Series. They will each receive year-end point fund checks of $10,000.00. Both teams ran the full twelve (12) race series in their respective areas.

Brian Hoar, now a record-setting eight (8) time ACT Champion from Williston, VT brought home the championship to Paya’s RPM team, and Patrick Laperle, driving for his family team located in St. Denis, QC, was a second time ACT Castrol Series Champion.

Stock cars,vintage open-wheel cars, dragsters and motorcycles all have a spot in the history books when it comes to racing in the Northeast, and now, all of these forms of motorsports will be featured in the new state-of-the-art Northeast Motorsports Museum at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The Racing History Preservation Group and “The Magic Mile” announced the beginning of fund raising efforts to create a 20,000-square-foot motorsports museum on Rt. 106 in Loudon, N.H. The announcement was made by Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway, RHPG president Dick Berggren, New England fan favorite and former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ricky Craven.

“We are working hard to develop year-round tourism opportunities and good economic development here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The museum will serve as one of those anchor attractions,” said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway. “This is a major coup for the state of New Hampshire to have it located here and not in another New England state. I’m sure with Dick’s passion and energy, plus the support of race fans and nearly 400,000 visitors a year to this site, this will be a very successful project.”

Daytona Beach, FL — NASCAR has announced the entertainment and emcees for the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet and NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala, held Dec. 9-10 in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Crown Ballroom in Charlotte, N.C.

Musical performer Edwin McCain will provide the entertainment for both programs. Originally from Greenville, S.C., the platinum-selling singer/songwriter has produced popular hits like “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More.” The Edwin McCain Band is currently touring in support of McCain’s 10th album, Mercy Bound.

“I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to perform at the upcoming NASCAR banquets in Charlotte next month,” McCain said. “As a NASCAR fan and someone who loves auto racing in general, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the skill all of the drivers possess and the hard work required off them both on and off the track.”

Sophia, NC — Matt Hirschman came to Caraway Speedway a little in the dark as the ninth annual John Blewett III North/South Shootout in memory of Charles Kepley shifted to the Sophia short track after being held at Concord Speedway since its inception in 2003.

But the only three-time Shootout winner found something in practice and, after getting a huge break during the mandatory pit stops to keep his track position near the front of the field, Hirschman held off three-time Caraway winner Andy Seuss to add to his record – a fourth Shootout crown.

“I know it’s not easy. To beat these guys that run here, they’ve got their act together,” Hirschman said in victory lane. “It’s a relief to be able to come here and defeat the odds to come here without much experience at all.”

Hirschman, who started fourth, hovered around the top five in the early going while Seuss and George Brunnhoelzl III drove to the head of the pack. But when the caution flew on lap 54, the door opened for mandatory pit stops.

Daytona Beach, FL — While four of the six NASCAR regional touring series have crowned champions, fans still have a final say in who will win the Most Popular Driver Awards, as balloting remains open for all series through Nov. 20.

While balloting is still open for nearly three more weeks, Most Popular Driver voting has already received a record level of participation in 2011 with more than 109,000 votes cast since balloting opened in mid-July.

Fans still have plenty of opportunities to help their favorite driver extend their lead or help them catch up as they can vote once a day, every day through the deadline.

Brockton, MA — Communication and history, claims car owner Tim Bertrand, makes championships. Bertrand and driver Randy Cabral are the Northeastern Midget Association champions for the third time in the past four years.

With two this season, the combination has won 24 features since coming together in 2006. The Dumo’s Desire team, with drivers Joey Payne and Russ Stoehr, is next with 14.

“People think it is equipment,” says Bertrand, a former driver. “It isn’t.” It is, he insists “welding” the knowledge of setting up the car with Cabral’s wants as a driver. “We are always trying to make the car go faster,” says Bertrand. “We think about set up all the time. Not a week goes by that we don’t talk five times about the car.”

Pointing out the #47 is already apart, Bertrand adds it goes on in winter as well as summer. Boldly, Bertrand suggests the communication ranks with the best in NEMA’s long history.